


Puppy Love

by Matrasina



Series: Stories of a Mahariel [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Campfires, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Puppy Love, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 07:57:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3684315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matrasina/pseuds/Matrasina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alistair gets relationship advice from his favorite mabari.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Puppy Love

“How much farther do we have to go? My feet hurt.”

“Alistair quit whining, you sound like a toddler.”

“A toddler wouldn’t have to walk this far,” He grumbled, glaring at Morrigan. Their entire entourage was traveling east on the Imperial Highway. Sten and Alistair were leading, their silence boring Alistair to death. Morrigan and Wynne stayed beside Bodahn’s cart where he and Sandal rode on top, talking about enchantments. Leliana and Zevran were taking up the rear, as Zevran put it. Their ‘fearless leader’ was scampering around their party, playing with her war dog.

After ridding Connor of the demon, Isolde sent them to look for Brother Genitivi, who was researching the Urn of Sacred Ashes. The urn is their last hope for curing the arl. Genitivi was last seen in Denerim, so they stared the long trek to the capital city.

“Come on boy! Go get it!” A stick flew a few inches past Alistair’s head. He turned around just in time to be trampled by Revas’ dog, Valiant. He grumbled in annoyance as he slowly sat up; Leliana was trying to hold in her laughter while Morrigan was outright cackling. The younger warden looked over at him apologetically. “Sorry Alistair!” She said with a slight grin on her face. “Just trying to pass the time!”

Valiant came running back to him and dropped the stick onto his chest. He stared at the dog for a few seconds before Valiant started to drown him in slobbery kisses.

“Yuck! No I’m not going to play with you right after you run me over!” He pushed the dog off of him and stood up. Valiant whined in disproval. “Even if you are cute,” Alistair sighed patting him on the head.

“You really should learn to control your dog, Revas. He tends to get out of control.” The familiar voice of Wynne’s scolding rose above their idle chatter. As soon as she joined, she took the role of team mom like she was born to do it. Her disapproving look could make darkspawn feel bad.

“He’s not out of control! He just likes to play rough.” Valiant whined for good measure.

Morrigan snorted “Do not say you weren’t warned when the mutt brings back a child’s limb.”

“I guess it’s not just you’re hair that’s dark.” Alistair smirked at his own comment.

“You’re cunning puts us all to shame, Alistair.” Morrigan replied as she rolled her eyes.

“But seriously, there’s a clearing up ahead and the sun is starting to set, can we please stop for the night?” He huffed looking at their leader. She pondered their choices for a minute before looking at him. The Templar gave his best kicked-puppy look to try and convince her.

The elf sighed, “Ma nuvenin, we can stop for the night.”

~~~

After setting up camp and eating rabbit for the 5th time that week, the group settled down for the night. Everyone retired to their own tent while Alistair somehow got first watch with Valiant. He sat down on a log near the entrance, Valiant pawing at his feet.

“Alright so how do you do it?” He sighed, glaring at the dog. “She’s one of the most headstrong people I know, but you always manage to get your way.” The mabari proudly barked in reply.

“Is it just because she likes dogs?”

He barked again.

“Can you elaborate?”

“Having a late night chat with the mutt?” Morrigan said from behind him, grabbing a bit of leftover food before walking back to her fire. Alistair turned his head to glare.

“He’s a pure breed mabari, not a mutt.”

“Oh, I was talking about you.” Valiant barked, smugly. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the dog.

Valiant barked, smugly. Alistair rubbed his temples. He hated how she always managed to get a smart comment in. That was his job. He turned back to the dog. “I just want her to like me. She seems to be in love with you. Why is that?” If he wasn’t so tired he’d have been sure he saw Valiant shrug. Maybe he did just need to sleep on it. He was asking a dog for advice, after all.

“So you aren’t going to help me at all?” He sighed. The dog nudged at a pocket in Alistair’s armor. He opened it and pulled out a rose that he plucked from Lothering.

“What? You want me to give her this?” He asked, thumbing over the petals. Valiant barked in agreement. It seemed that even the dog knew about his crush on their leader. “How do I even go about this?” He asked himself and the dog.

“Aneth ara, are you interrogating my dog?” The Templar jumped at the sound of Revas behind him. He was silently praying that she hadn’t heard much of their conversation. She plopped down next to him and scratched Valiant behind his ears.

“Of course!” He joked. “You never know what dastardly secrets a mabari could be hiding.”

She laughed “I can barely get a word out of him. It must be hard to put him through questioning.”

“It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.”

“We are all grateful for your sacrifice, Alistair.” She smiled at him.

They sat in silence, as they usually did. Quiet was welcome between them, as their days were filled with people who didn’t know how to shut up. The Templar stared that the rose in his hand. He had been thinking about giving it to her for a while now, just not knowing when or how to go about it. He saw her glance at his hand. Damn, now he couldn’t back out if he wanted. Alistair decided to just go with his gut.

“Here, look at this.” He said handing the rose over to her, their fingers brushing lightly against each other’s. “Do you know what this is?”

The elf examined the flower for a few seconds before responding “Is this a trick question?”

He laughed. “Yes, absolutely. I’m trying to trick you. Is it working? Aw, I just about had you didn’t I?” He thought he would be alright if he could just get her to laugh.

“Oh you’re a wily one.” She said playfully.

“Nefarious even.” He tried an evil laugh but ended up hurting his throat. At least she smiled.

Revas looked over the rose again. She tucked a few stray hairs behind her pointed ear.

“I picked it in Lothering.” Alistair explained. “I remember thinking, ‘how could something so beautiful exist in a place with so much despair and ugliness.’” He thought back to the mangled bush he saw the rose growing from. It looked completely dead except for that beautiful, red rose. “I probably should have left it alone, but I couldn’t. The darkspawn would have come and their taint would just destroy it. So I’ve had it ever since.” He sighed, thinking back to that small village that was surely destroyed by now. “

That’s a nice sentiment, but why are you telling me this?” She asked.

“I thought that I might… give it to you, actually. In a lot of ways, I think the same thing when I look at you.” He smiled sheepishly.

She smirked, looking back at him, “Feeling a little thorny are we?”

Her joke caught him off guard as he laughed, relieved to have a positive reaction. “Wow. ‘She’ll never see through that,’ I told myself. Boy was I wrong.”

“But seriously,” She said. “Thank you, Alistair. It’s a lovely thought.”

He smiled back at her. “I’m glad you like it. I was just thinking… here I am doing all this complaining, and you haven’t exactly been having a good time of it yourself. You’ve had none of the good experience of being a Grey Warden since your joining. No thanks or congratulations, just death and fighting and tragedy.”

He cursed himself inwardly for all of his complaining. He really could be a child sometimes. “I thought maybe I could say something. Tell you what a rare and wonderful thing you are to find amidst all this… darkness.”

“I feel the same way about you.” He could have sworn he heard a bit of breathlessness in her voice.

“I’m glad you like it.” Alistair smirked. “Now… if we could move right on past this awkward, embarrassing stage and get right to the steamy bits, I’d appreciate that.”

Revas grinned. “Sounds good, everyone else is asleep. Off with the armor then.”

Alistair wasn’t expecting that straight forward of an answer. He could feel his face burning red. The Templar tried to laugh it off. “Bluff called! Damn! She saw right through me.”

She playfully hit his arm, “You’re so cute when you’re bashful.” She stretched her sore muscles. “Well, I better get to sleep before my watch.”

Valiant barked in agreement. She smiled at the dog and patted him on the head.

Revas turned back to him. “Thank you again Alistair.” She leant down and kissed his cheek. “Atisha theneras.”

He could feel his ears burning as she walked away.

**Author's Note:**

> Second installment is finally finished! I'm thinking about making a tumblr blog for this series once the third story is up. Feedback is always appreciated!  
> Elven translations:  
> Ma nuvenin: as you wish  
> Aneth ara: friendly greeting, translates literally to "my safe place"  
> Atisha theneras: peaceful dreams


End file.
